Torben Waldorff Quartet: Brilliance

With heart and soul, guitarist Torben Waldorff leads his stellar quartet through a program of originals on Brilliance, recorded live in concert at the 55 Bar in New York.

As front line lead voices, guitarist Waldorff and tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin provide adventure and spontaneity in their enthusiastic session. They light creative fires that move jazz's modern mainstream along its properly defined path. The whole world lies at their feet as they pour effective threads into this affair. Double bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Jon Wikan assist with a complementary rhythmic foundation that boosts the quartet's performance. It takes teamwork. This quartet has such cohesion that you'd think they were four brothers who'd begun in childhood and had developed their sound over a lifetime. When everything falls into place so naturally on a concert stage, you know that empathy is at work.

Waldorff contributed four pieces to this session, while McCaslin penned the other. Each selection affords ample room for individual expression. The guitarist employs the full range of his instrument, concentrating on lyric delivery with passion. Similarly, McCaslin takes the time to explore each melodic nuance with fervor. His outward-oozing delivery proves fruitful throughout the program.

Clohesy and Wikan also solo with confidence, but not as often as the others. All four artists value a pure tone and ensure that their contributions come aligned with a true musical relationship. Highly recommended, Brilliance comes from a foursome of dedicated, talented and creative artists.

I love jazz because, even after many years as a professional performer, teacher and author on the subject, this music still possesses the element of deep mystery and surprise. I recently heard somebody say that if you can explain something, you take the mystery out of it

I love jazz because, even after many years as a professional performer, teacher and author on the subject, this music still possesses the element of deep mystery and surprise. I recently heard somebody say that if you can explain something, you take the mystery out of it. Not in this case! It seems that with every explanation, new questions arise exponentially! It's like the universe is constantly inviting (challenging) you to grow musically.